Load limiting control: a piloted simulation study

Abstract

The aim of this paper is two fold; firstly, to integrate a previously developed life extending control scheme, viz., Load Limiting Control (LLC) scheme, with a visual cueing system, and secondly, to perform real-time piloted flight simulation experiments of the resulting architecture using the Georgia Tech Re-configurable Rotorcraft Flight Simulator. The piloted simulations assessed the effectiveness of the visual cue in limiting maneuver aggressiveness for component load limiting. Two maneuvers were considered in this study: a pitch doublet maneuver and a pull-up maneuver. From the results gathered during the experiment, it is found that, even though the implementation of an LLC scheme within a real system using a visual cueing architecture is viable, the time delay inherent in such a cueing paradigm can impede the overall performance of an LLC system.